† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupMontecitoCaliforniaUnited States
German17.0%6.8%12.5%
English16.2%6.3%9.5%
Irish14.1%5.9%9.4%
Italian7.6%3.4%4.8%
American4.5%2.8%5.3%
Scottish3.3%0.9%1.3%
French2.9%1.3%1.6%
Polish2.5%0.9%2.2%
Mexican9.9%32.3%11.3%
Salvadoran0.2%2.0%0.7%
Filipino0.8%3.3%0.9%
Chinese0.7%3.9%1.3%
Vietnamese0.3%1.7%0.6%
Korean0.3%1.2%0.4%
Asian Indian0.2%2.3%1.4%
Japanese0.2%0.6%0.2%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Montecito
California
United States
Median age
50
37.9
39.1
Age 18–24
16.8%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
33.4%
15.6%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Montecito
California
United States
Median household income
$231,005
$99,122
$84,427
Poverty rate
8.3%
12.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
76.3%
36.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Montecito
California
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
14.2%
44.4%
22.3%
Spanish
5.8%
28.4%
13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
2.8%
0.4%
0.7%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic
1.4%
0.7%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
1.2%
3.4%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
Montecito
California
United States
Catholic
—
26.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
9.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Montecito, California
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+7.8%
2008
+22.7%
2012
+8.5%
2016
+31.6%
2020
+38.5%
2024
+36.9%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
67.1%Harris3,413
30.2%Trump1,537
2.8%
D+36.9
R+1.6
D+38.3
5,090
D
68.2%Biden3,730
29.7%Trump1,626
2.1%
D+38.5
D+6.8
D+34.0
5,471
D
62.9%Clinton3,150
31.3%Trump1,566
5.9%
D+31.6
D+23.1
D+29.5
5,011
D
52.7%Obama2,782
44.2%Romney2,333
3.1%
D+8.5
R+14.2
D+4.6
5,281
D
61.1%Obama3,454
38.5%McCain2,174
0.4%
D+22.7
D+14.9
D+15.4
5,649
D
53.2%Kerry2,992
45.4%Bush2,553
1.5%
D+7.8
—
D+10.3
5,627
Montecito is a coastal Santa Barbara County enclave with a median household income far above state and national norms, drawing a small, high-wealth electorate whose preferences have shifted incrementally leftward over the past three election cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 38.5 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 36.9 points.
A population of 9,031, a 81% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $231,005 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Oak Park and Woodside.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Montecito, California voted Democratic by 36.9 points (D+36.9), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 5,090 votes cast, 3,413 went Democratic and 1,537 went Republican.
How many people live in Montecito, California?
Montecito, California has a population of 9,031 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Montecito, California?
Median household income in Montecito, California is $231,005 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Montecito, California?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Montecito, California from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
